“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied.
Tested, not tempted. This verse reminded me of James 1:13; it says, “When tempted, no one should say ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone;”
Satan tempts us with the intent on making us fail, while God tests us with the intention of confirming our faith.
Testing is an exercise that can be used to make us better or stronger. Take baking a cake for example; before pouring the batter into the pan and then placing the pan into the oven, the baker will often taste test the batter to see if it needs any ingredients added. Once satisfied, the baker places the cake into the oven for completion. Testing the cake batter before baking is not in hopes that it will taste bad, or to make it worse. Rather, it’s to confirm that it already tastes great.
Just as a baker tastes their batter to confirm what they believe it will taste like, God tests us to confirm our commitment to Him. We’ve read in previous chapters how Abraham felt the need to lie about Sarah being his wife. Well today, Abraham passed a test that many of us would have failed.
Lock Your Wings 
Hmm, interesting connection between a cake maker testing the cake and God testing us. There definitely is a big difference between testing and tempting.
I noticed the parallel between how Abraham did not spare his one and only son (whom he loves) and how God did not spare His one and only Son, whom He loves. I hope to work towards having a faith that is this strong – that I would be willing to sacrifice the one thing in life that I love most, for God.
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Great parallel how both fathers were willing to give up their son in obedience, and how we too should be willing to give up what we love most.
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That same verse stood out for me but with a different perspective:
“Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.””
Genesis 22:1
“Some time later” as if the wait for God’s promise of many descendants was not a test of his faith, it doesn’t say he tested him again or for a second time but that this test to sacrifice his son was the only test.
Maybe the little trials we go through are just that and sometimes He has a bigger test in store for us. May we be ready and willing to say ‘here I am’ whenever we face trials small or large.
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Good catch.
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“He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’” Genesis 22:5 NIV
Interesting that Abraham knew he was asked by God to sacrifice Isaac, but yet he told his servants that “we” will come back to you. So either Abraham did not want to let on to his servants what was about to take place, or he had faith in God that He would indeed provide the burnt offering.
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